BEAUTIFUL, NORMAL BREASTS; BEAUTIFUL BREASTFED DAUGHTER Marina Plastic Surgery

“It’s a bit hard to explain,” said Becca, “but I just wasn’t sure I deserved surgery. I didn’t think it was possible for me. It felt more like a dream than a plan for a long time.”

Becca’s dream of having normal sized breasts took root when she was a youngster in north Florida. “I developed early and quickly,” she said. “In fact, the first bra I recall having was a C cup. I know that’s not really the way it happened, but I sped through size B so quickly I don’t even remember it. I was a C by about age 13.” No one in her family had large breasts, and she wasn’t really overweight, so Becca saw no apparent reason she developed the way she did. She had few friends with bodies anything like hers and no one to commiserate with. Her mom tried to help her adjust, but for the 5’3″ soccer-playing teen, life just wasn’t comfortable. “I know the grass is always greener elsewhere,” she said, “but I truly would have been much happier being almost flat. I did not want to be known for having large breasts, so I tried to hide them in minimizer bras, hoping no one would know how big I really was.”

Perhaps Becca would have grown more accustomed to her womanly curves as she became an adult, but unfortunately she continued to develop. “In my late teens I was a size DD,” she related. “Then, by the time I was 24 I was a 4D. I think that’s a size G.” “I had gained some weight, but I was muscular, too,” Becca said. “I don’t like excuses, so I tried to be as active as I could. I went to the gym, I walked, I did aerobics, I dieted. There were times when I didn’t eat right, sure, and there were times when I skipped going to the gym. The guilt piled on when I gained weight, but even when I lost weight, I couldn’t see a difference in my chest. I felt guilty that I couldn’t make a big difference on my own – that, at 24, somehow I had let my body down, and now I was stuck with the pain. I sunk lower as I could only imagine how bad I would look and feel later in life. I saw a chiropractor for neck and shoulder pain, and I took a yoga class.” After finding only a little relief, she started asking questions about surgery.

THE PLAN IN ACTION

Becca’s mom flew with her from Alabama to Los Angeles for the breast reduction procedure. “The moment we met Dr. Stevens, we knew everything would be fine,” Becca remembered. “Dr. Stevens reassured my mom that he would take care of me as if I were his own daughter. And he did.”

Christmas 2005

Becca poses with her daughter, Abby, a healthy, breastfed newborn. “Even after breastfeeding, I can honestly say they’re perky! I still feel elated. I tell anyone who is suffering like I did how happy I am.”

So, what happened to that young woman who didn’t deserve plastic surgery? She has been transformed in more ways than one. Becca’s reasons for being hesitant for so long were complicated. “I believe it’s different here in the South,” she said. “Though plastic surgery is becoming more and more accepted, most people still don’t talk about rushing out to get it. I was just an average person – healthy, with no other real problems. It seemed like an extreme measure to have surgery, and I thought people would judge me, saying that the reason I had large breasts was because I had gained a little weight. Also my husband and I had other places to spend money, and though he was completely supportive and even encouraging, I didn’t want to cause a big expense. I think I just felt that breast reduction was out of my reach.”

“Once I flew to LA, everything changed for me,” Becca said. I was just so impressed by Dr. Stevens and his practice; I would have done almost anything to find a way to have the surgery. Even without insurance; I would have saved for years. It was that important to me.” To others dreaming about breast reduction Becca has much to say. “Educate yourself,” she begins. “Don’t let problems get in the way. And don’t settle for a surgeon you’re not comfortable with. Don’t make flying in and out of Los Angeles for breast reduction a big deal. It’s no harder than getting the procedure done locally. Take a family member and make a good trip out of it.” “Three years later, I still feel elated. I tell anyone who is suffering like I did how happy I am.” No matter what she felt about the surgery and herself before, Becca knows the truth now, and that’s why she wanted others to hear her story. “You know your body best… when you’ve done all you can, don’t feel guilty about taking the next step toward health!”